Do you have a basement or other place of safety to go to? All the things you mentioned can be replaced - but not you!

Kathy, got all my fingers and toes crossed for you guys, please stay safe. Keep in touch, let us know you're OK.

Annette

Kathy,

All the projected models I've seen have shown SA in the path, so please be careful.

We're in some projected paths, but it shouldn't be as severe as what you are facing.

Take care, and let's keep our fingers crossed that Ike loses some of its strength.

Marilyn

Do you know you should leave windows cracked open, if a tornado is expected? That prevents a vacuum forming inside of your house and the windows imploding. Closets are supposed to be good places to shelter, when a person doesn't have a basement. I hope your neighborhood is spared, Kathy. This year is the first time I've become aware that hurricanes can spawn tornadoes--freakish and frightening!

Lorna

Let's just hope and pray the storm looses strength once it hits land. These storms seem as prevalent as the tornadoes we had this past year.

Batten down the hatches and please keep checking in so we all know everyone is safe....if the power stays on.

Lorna, our weather man told us this year during tornado season that cracking the windows was an old myth! I had heard that all my life too. He suggests an inner room where you are away from outer walls if you don't have a basement or a cellar.

Do folks on the Texas coast even have basements on the houses? I know some areas don't because of the water table.

Oh man Kathy, this stinks. Have you ever been through a hurricane? I don't know exactly where on the coast you are located. If this one comes ashore as a cat 3 watch out!! If it were me I would leave town. I have been through typhoons when we lived on Guam - very scary and lots of destruction.

I'll be praying that you are safe. Please let us know how it goes.
Vikki

Cousin Kathy ~ You are in my thoughts and prayers! I've been wondering who all is in Ike's projected path. I hope you fare well, and have no damages, or little if any. Do keep us posted.

Marilyn ~ I hope you will be safe and spared any damages also.

Hugs,love and prayers ~ FlowerLady

Draw up water -- closed containers of drinking water, buckets or fill the tub for flushing toilets. Electricity is what we usually lose in the high winds.

It looks as if you may be subject to copious rain as well, flooding may be a problem in some areas, so if your water is city water, it may be contaminated for a short time.

I hope you'll be safe and suffer no real damage.

Sometimes you can't run. One hurricane several years ago that came in at Panama City did little damage at our older son's house there, but it went north and blew a tree down, smashing our younger son's truck in north Alabama.

Nell

That's correct about the basements, we don't have them. Our homes are built on concrete pads or have pier/beam construction.

Neither Kathy or I live on the coast, but she is closer to the Gulf and will take a bigger hit than I will. Stay safe!

The last wave of Gustav evacuues just left a few days ago, and the first wave of Ike evacs. are now arriving. What an awful couple of weeks for coastal residents!

Stay safe everyone.

Marilyn

You guys rock. I feel we are one BIG family.

Over night change shows it going to the Houston/Galveston area. Madatory evac. starts at noon in the lower areas of the town my son lives in. They will come here.

I know the stuff is only stuff. The reason for picking them up is so they don't blow through someone's windows.

I grew up near Brownsville, TX, so I am very familiar with storms. I just never thought San Antonio would get this much.
Glenda, you are correct about the water table, for South TX. It makes it very expensive to build one. Some old Gov. buildings do. There are very few basements here. But when my son installed the pet door we discovered the 2x4's are steel. My neighbor said some of the steel is driven into the stone below the soil. The far north side of the city is over native stone. We are the gateway to the "hill country".

Diane grew up here and is pretty scared. When I told her to fill both tubs, she had no clue as to why.

Vikki, if you threw a dart at the center of TX, you probably would hit San Antonio. We are a 5 hr drive from the tip of TX and a 3 hr drive from the coast.

The deal on the sale of my house fell through. Very few houses are selling right now. (Thank you, ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN). People are afraid to buy. Y'all pray that it takes a direct hit from a tornado.

OK, targeting my prayers on the old house!! lol. You stay safe. I tried to check snopes about the cracked window, but found nothing!!

Nancy - who prefers Canadian winters to hurricanes!!!

Kathy, if the winds are predicted to be over 65mph, please evacuate!

Maybe you don't have tall trees like we do here, but the sound of 100+ trees cracking and falling all around you is terrifying. Especially in the middle of the night when you're huddled in a tiny powder room under the stairs (been there and don't want to do it again). I think having the roof blow off would be worse!

Please, please take care!

This will be my first hurricane since moving to TX. (Rita was supposed to affect us, but didn't.) We're a few miles west of the projected path, about 100 miles inland. I feel so bad for people who have to evacuate...all the aggravation, then worrying about what you might come back to.

My office is closed tomorrow so I'll be moving everything that isn't fastened down inside then. We're in a 100+ yr old house with a couple of windowless rooms. That's where I'll be with dh and our 5, usually outdoor, kitties. Should be quite a sleepover.

Stay safe, Kathy...and anyone else here who's in the way of this storm.

Here is a link that might be useful: projected path

Here's what NOAA says about the old notion of 'equalizing pressure' by opening a window.

Here is a link that might be useful: NOAA and the Open Window

I'm expressing the sentiments of everyone else. Keep safe, everyone, and I hope you don't get much if any damage.

Sue

It looks like we will be out of the path.

Treelover, what town are you near?

My DS and DDIL left the area around 2:30, so I have no idea what time they will get here. It is normally a 4 hr. drive.

I'm in Brenham. Traffic is pretty heavy on 290.

We will be thinking of you all and hope you and yours will be safe.

Same here, I will have all of you in my thoughts with the hope you all get safely through this, please check in when you can. We had a wind storm up here a year or so ago that was pretty darn scary, huge trees snapping in half but I don't think it compares to the storms you have to deal with down there.

Annette

My "kids" and grandpuppy are now here. It took 9 hours to make a 4 hr. trip.

Just briefly checking in, hope all in Ike's path stay safe and out of harm's way! Please keep us updated on how you are doing when you get the chance.

Eduarda

Kathy,
Holy moley, this is one big hurricane. I think you can expect to lose power and have some substantial damage from wind. I'll be praying you and the family are safe. Please check in as soon as you are able.

Big ((hugs)) Vikki

Kathy,

I'm glad you posted about your family arriving safely. I was just getting set to email you about that very subject.

From what I am hearing this morning, you don't want to be on I-45 going north from Houston.

I'm taking in all the lawn furniture, the grill etc. after work today. It's all going into the garage.

Again, I'm happy to hear that your family arrived safely. Keep in touch.

Marilyn

Marilyn, you stay safe too, keep in touch. We heard on the news this morning that it looks like Galveston is going to be hit hard. This gal who has not traveled to very many places has been there and I loved all the old architecture, so picturesque. I'm shuddering thinking about all the oil rigs just off shore. My heart goes out to those people as well as our friends in the path of this hurricane. You are all in my thoughts.

Annette

My prayer for you and your family natvtxn and to everyone in Texas and along that gulf coast.

GGG

I posted about my family in the Houston area in the other "IKE" topic.

Annie